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Two male students sit at a table with notebooks working in a classroom.
Teaching Innovation

Course-based undergraduate research at OSU is transforming science education

As part of the College of Science's innovative course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs), students aren’t just learning about science — they’re doing authentic science. CUREs are an innovative pedagogical model where students engage in original research within the context of a regular course. This offers a research-intensive learning experience that is more accessible than research opportunities outside the classroom.

A paper sculpture of a fish parasite hangs from a ceiling.
Microbiology

Blending art and science: Microbiologist illuminates the hidden world of fish parasites

A graduate student in Oregon State University’s Department of Microbiology, Nilanjana Das is using art to give the invisible world of fish parasites new visibility — and new meaning. Through large, glowing sculptures made of tracing paper and reed, she brings public attention to the microscopic organisms threatening aquatic ecosystems.

Portrait of Matthew Foreman leaning against a tree trunk in a forest background
Mathematics

‘Impossibility Results in Mathematics’: Lonseth Lecture 2025

At this year’s Lonseth Lecture, Distinguished Professor Matthew Foreman explains what it means when certain tasks are mathematically impossible, and discusses varying notions of impossibility.

Computer designed image representing quantum entanglement
Physics

Marking 100 years of quantum physics — with Oregon State at the forefront of entanglement research

As we mark the 100th anniversary of quantum mechanics and recognize World Quantum Day on April 14, it’s the perfect moment to spotlight Oregon State’s connection to this revolutionary science. Carl Kocher, now professor emeritus of physics, conducted the world’s first experimental observation of quantum entanglement in the 1960s — work that helped lay the foundation for decades of breakthroughs in quantum research.

Oregon State University materials scientist Marilyn Rampersad Mackiewicz studies silver nanoparticles in a lab
Chemistry

Using light to tune silver nanoparticles opens door to better imaging and much more

Marilyn Rampersad Mackiewicz, a materials scientist at Oregon State, led a study that used ultraviolet light to precisely control the shape and size of silver nanoparticles – and discovered a way to make them stable in light and oxygen, boosting their potential for medical, environmental and electronic applications.

Orange background with graphics of mini research posters.
Events

College of Science hosts Graduate Research Showcase

The College of Science is hosting a Graduate Research Showcase from 11:30 am till 2:30 pm on Friday, May 16, 2025 in the Memorial Union Horizon Room. Applications are open for first consideration until April 25.

Two rhinoceroses striding out of a river.
Integrative Biology

New Nepal Study Abroad: Explore the interweaving of culture and biology

For the second time, a three-week study abroad opportunity in Nepal is available for students to experience. Led by Dee Denver, head of the Department of Integrative Biology, the Intersections of Biodiversity and Buddhist Cultures in Nepal course promises a trek through the Himalayas, excursions in lowland jungles, and time spent in centuries-old monasteries.

Two women in lab coats work with a sample in a tube in a laboratory.
Microbiology

Microbiome scientist uses AI to redefine the gut-brain axis and deep-sea ecosystems

Maude David’s research sits at the crossroads of microbiology, neuroscience and artificial intelligence — an intersection that may hold the key to understanding some of the most complex disorders affecting the human brain and unlocking the secrets of deep-sea ecosystems.

A woman holds a shark and shines a flashlight into it in a laboratory.
Students

Goldwater scholar modernizes shark research with digital art

Natalie Donato, a third-year honors biology student, is submerged in the thrilling world of sharks. On a typical day at Oregon State University, this nationally recognized Goldwater scholar can be found creating 3D models of shark heads in a research lab and recently designed Oregon’s new shark license plate.

The lower Colorado River in the Grand Canyon is a rich environment
Research

Transforming river health, ecology, seaweed, and pest control: Revolutionary SciRIS research

Founded in 2018, SciRIS funds interdisciplinary research projects that aim to create meaningful societal impact. This year, biologist David Lytle’s project focuses on understanding the complex interactions between multiple biotic components, including food base, disease landscape and microbiome in the lower Colorado River, including the Grand Canyon.

Black and white photo of a man with a streak of light across his face.
Chemistry

Shedding light on molecular mysteries: Physical chemist wins CAREER Award

Light is more than just illumination --- it’s the energy that drives life itself. Physical chemist Tim Zuehlsdorff is using his coveted National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award to study what happens when molecules interact with light in dynamic environments, such as solvents or proteins.

Vaishnavi Padaki stands in Strand Gallery. Two of her art pieces hang on either side of her on the wall. The one on the left is on a white background, the one on the right is on a black background. She wears glasses and has long dark hair. She smiles slightly.
Graduate students

10 Questions With... Vaishnavi Padaki, microbiology Ph.D. candidate

10 Questions With… Vaishnavi Padaki, fifth-year Ph.D. candidate in microbiology, who will be defending her thesis in April. Padaki has created mixed-media artwork for part of her thesis which is on display March 31-April 16 in the Strand Gallery in Strand Ag Hall on the Corvallis campus.